What Makes A Knight
by Moonlit Solstice
Summary: Pokemon Trainers and Knights are kind of similiar in more ways than one, don't you think? Drabble series. Cynthia/OC Friendship.
1. Strength

**I Do Not Own Pokemon**

Strength is not just how much your body can take; it is how much your heart can handle.

"Damn it… It's my fault. It's all my fault." The raven-haired trainer mutters to himself, jet-black locks shielding his sapphire orbs.

If I had just-" the lump in his throat cuts him off, causing a muffled sob to escape his lips.

"If I was stronger…" Landon lifts his head to focus on an injured Umbreon – an Umbreon that takes the title of his first pokemon and his best friend.

An Umbreon that risked life and limb to fulfill the dreams of its master.

"I was being so stupid. Why'd you keep fighting?" The trainer's eyes close, thinking back to the battle with Cynthia.

_She had only one pokemon left, as did he .Their trump cards- Garchomp and Umbreon – stood face to face, staggering body movements and glazed eyes of willpower, neither wanting to back down. The Champion vs. The Underdog._

"_Garchomp! Dragon Rush!"_

"_Umbreon! Shadow Ball!"_

_People rooted for the underdog, but that did not lead him to victory._

"_Umbreon is una-" The referee stopped at the sight of the weakened pokemon, a weakened figure quivering, limping back to the battle._

_Cynthia's concern was clear on her face, her statement justifying her expression. "Landon, as a trainer and as your friend, I suggest you surrender."_

_She was right, and he knew it. Umbreon was hurt – bad. He had to give up for the safety of his partner. So why couldn't the words leave his mouth?_

"_Landon…"_

_Her voice rang in his ears, but no sound left his lips. His mind went blank, and when he came to, he saw his friend, battered and bruised, lying motionless in a Pokemon Centre. _

A hand rests on the trainer's shoulder, but he does not dare look up, focusing only on the ground beneath him and the silence filling the atmosphere.

"Nurse Joy said that your Umbreon just needs to rest." Landon did not expect the champion herself to make an appearance. He remains silent, but she breaks the unnerving wordlessness. "Why didn't you give up?"

His body tenses, and she feels it. "Because I'm weak." He almost lets a sob escape his lips. Sensing her confusion, he continues. "You were right. My heart understood that. But… I just wanted to win so badly that the words wouldn't leave my mouth."

She takes his hand in hers, offering her warmth of comfort and relaxing his body. His eyes, showing signs of upcoming tears, lock on hers."Umbreon was strong for holding on when his body wanted to quit."

"And what about you? Are you just going to quit?" He wants to say yes, but she will not allow that. "You've come too far just throw it all away, don't you think?"

"What if this happens again?" His voice is low – it's broken, something his heart may soon be.

"You're stronger now, both you and Umbreon. Your heart can handle the pressure." It is as if she knows the condition of his shattered soul and is picking up the pieces – or rather, reinforcing them. "Umbreon is strong, but because of the years of physical training but because of how strong it steeled its heart."

Whatever skepticism came to his mind, she countered perfectly. He turns his gaze from the blonde to the pokemon slowing recovering. Once again, Cynthia is right.

Umbreon endured the most bone-breaking training and steeled against even worse heartaches. And that is what makes it strong. Landon understands now, in his hearts he understands. He does not need to put himself through physical labor, does not need to feel his skin burning or cuts sowing across his body. Because that is not what strength truly is.

Strength is more than just physical conditioning; it is your heart telling you the right answer, how much you can handle, and how far above your limits you can go.

It is the ability to go on, long after you can't.


	2. Armor

Because the armor's purpose is to protect exposed skin from injury, to shield one's heart from any danger.

Landon stares at the pokemon through the unbreakable glass, his heart in the same caged condition as the prisoner's freedom. He lays his hand on the cool, cold surface, as if his touch could feel Mesprit's skin.

"I'll get you out." The words probably never reached Mesprit's ears, but the resolve in the trainer's eyes can be seen miles away.

"Looks like we have company." The Sinnoh Champion taps Landon's shoulder, glaring at the three Honchkrows under Team Galactic's command.

A light growl escapes his lips before an Umbreon and Luxray take fighting stances in front of the trainer. But before either pokemon could attack, a Lucario and Garchomp block their ways.

"Get Mesprit out. I'll cover you." Cynthia's pokemon start their assault, but Landon does not move an inch, his eyes glancing from the battle to the prisoner.

She notices his hesitation, raising an eyebrow. "What? Don't trust me with your back?" She was being sarcastic, not expecting him to reply with a concerned look that said 'Goodbye.'

But that does not surprise her.

Cynthia knew Landon's past – how his father abandoned him, his mother dying shortly after giving birth, how his uncle assumed the role of his guardian but disappeared after Lan left on his journey, only to join forces with Team Galactic.

It is not a trust issue. If he did not trust her, then he would have infiltrated Team Galactic's base on his own instead of waiting for her at the entrance.

She encourages her pokemon – they sure are doing a great job fending off the enemies. They are strong, possibly the strongest in all of Sinnoh. She is aware of that, but is he?

Her eyes gaze sympathetically at the distraught trainer, her brain finally registering the condition of his heart – a broken and fragile work of art.

He does not want to lose anyone anymore. The pain of abandonment, of death, and of betrayal was too much for one shattered soul to bear. He does not want to live through the pain again, does not want the scars to run deeper than they already are. He wants to keep his heart from breaking; so, he put up an armor around it.

Her pondering caused her mind to wander, missing the defeat of the Galactic Goons and the start of Mesprit's freedom.

"Let's get going." His voice, piercing through her wall of thoughts, was void of any sign of emotion.

She follows his fleeting figure, aware of the condition of his heart.

His heart wears the armor – to prevent any damage, any danger – to keep it from breaking.

Because armor is worn in order protect the body against any further injuries, not to stop the pain from the ones already existing.


	3. Chivalry

He is a pokemon trainer, a chivalrous one at that. He will never run from a battle, always accepting challenges left and right. He will never cheat when it comes pokemon, type advantage or disadvantage, legendary or not, he will fight fairly and never steal another trainer's comrades. He will do whatever it takes to win, to protect the pokemon world, and to ensure peace amongst humans and pokemon, never forgetting the honor code he holds in his heart. Yes, he is indeed chivalrous - like the knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress, gaining fame and fortune for his king, fighting and winning with an honorable soul.

"I know what you desire most, Landon." Landon's uncle, a gray-haired man affiliated with Team Galactic, says in a matter-of-fact tone. "You wish to become the world's greatest pokemon trainer."

The aspiring master narrows his eyes, coldly glaring at the traitor. "So what?"

"You were so close in your endeavors to become champion of the Sinnoh League." A laugh escapes the old man's mouth, and Landon senses the mockery in it. "But you lost the final battle."

Blood trickles from the side of his mouth, his teeth sinking themselves in his lip. It was true - all of it. He was so close, but he lost! His fists clench while his body shakes in both trepidation and anger, the Galactic Goon only taking advantage of such a broken condition.

His uncle holds out his hand, but not in such a way to mend the fractured soul of the distraught teen. "Join me. Join Team Galactic." His smile is menacing, his eyes covered by the shadows of his aged hair. "We can eliminate your competition, experiment with your pokemon."

The only thing in the distressed trainer's line of vision is an equally distressed Umbreon staring back with crimson, pleading eyes. Landon stays silent; he knows what the right thing to do is, but how can one simply ignore an opportunity to become the best of the best?

"With your aid, we can capture and tame the powers of Dialga and Palkia, and the eradication of all obstacles, all challenges, will be inevitable." He takes a step toward his nephew. "Well, Lan. Do you accept my proposal?"

The raven-haired trainer stares straight in the eyes of his uncle, a frown gracing his lips and a sense of longing in his sapphire eyes. His hand moves on its own accord, slowly reaching out to accept the possibilities planned for him.

His heartbeat quickens, the pulse convulsing throughout his entire being. A sense of hope rises in his piercing eyes, his hand still gradually reaching for its destination, but a voice ceases the movement.

_"Humans and pokemon can understand one another, yet they don't speak the same language. Why is that?"_

The inquiry was not physically spoken, but that did not falter its significance. Rather than waver and cower in fear and confusion, Landon's resolve stands above the chaotic discord of his heart.

Eyelids cover the sapphire orbs he holds. His body freezes, the realization of what he had almost done kicking in the back of his mind. He clenches his fist, reels it back, then throws it forward. Eyes open now, staring blankly at unconscious elder before fixating on the moonlight pokemon.

The distressed crimson eyes pleading with the trainer to walk away from the 'offer' are no longer present - instead replaced with an expression of confidence and understanding.

_That's what it was..._

That is the answer, the reason humans and pokemon can communicate with one another - Confidence to find the right answer and to trust in one's comrades, and understanding to believe in the ways of one's course of action, to believe in the righteous purity of his heart.

A light growl snaps Landon out of his thoughts, crimson eyes meeting sapphire ones, but neither shows any signs of doubt.

"I know, Umbreon." Landon verbally answers his partner's unspoken inquiry. "I almost screwed up back there."

He chuckles lightly at the thought. Actually risking everything a true pokemon trainer is merely to achieve his selfish, common desires, just what the hell was he thinking?

Umbreon lets out a grunt.

"Thanks, buddy." Landon sighs, his eyes analyzing the trembling hand that had almost consent to his uncle's cheap wishes. The open palm closes into a fist. "Never again."

Never again will he even think about joining his uncle and Team Galactic, will he succumb to some childish desire to take the easy way out because the road ahead is so long and winding. Never again will pleading voices fall unto deaf ears - the begging, the reason, the truth, he will be sure to keep his mind open to his comrades. Never again will the thought of throwing away the true meaning of being a pokemon trainer ever cross his mind, nor risk breaking the honor code he had engraved in his heart so long ago.

No. Never again will his soul be so weak as to even consider for a second that Team Galactic would aid in his lifelong journey to be a master. Never again

Because he is a pokemon trainer. Because he will never resort to something so low - lying, stealing, cheating. Because the voice that echoes in his mind, resounding in the depths of his soul, etches the honor, the meaning, the chivalry, of a true pokemon trainer so deeply, even in the chaotic, confused discord of a heart like his.


End file.
